ENDA: I'M NO TRAITOR; Taoiseach Fights Back at Pro-Life Jibes

DEFIANT Enda Kenny hit back at pro-life protesters who branded him "worse than Herod" and accused him of breaking his promise not to legalise abortion.

A total of 25,000 campaigners descended on Dublin at the weekend to call on the Government to abandon plans to legislate on the divisive issue.

Denying claims he is a traitor, the Taoiseach insisted the new legislation will allow babies to be aborted to save mothers' lives only.

Mr Kenny said: "I'm not in the business of liberalising abortion and I'm not in the business of legalising abortion.

"What we have here are rights established by the Constitution and determined by the Supreme Court.

"I'm receiving correspondence and messages from all over the country.

"I'm now branded as being worse than Herod but I'm not in the business of providing abortion on demand.

"What I have is a duty to do as the head of government and that's that we provide legal clarity and certainty for medical personnel and that we introduce restrictions and regulations on the question of suicide which is very difficult."

The Government plans to bring in laws to legalise abortion in certain circumstances, despite fierce opposition from pro-life campaigners.

Mr Kenny told RTE: "The Constitution is the people's book and that book contains the article which has been determined by the Supreme Court and its meaning gives rights in respect of a termination of a pregnancy and it includes the question of suicide.

"I have a duty and a responsibility to put clarity around what is a legal situation where there are no regulations at the moment and the legalisation here is strictly, very strictly, on the narrow line of what our Constitution means. …

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